


In Other Words (Darling Kiss Me)

by Pretzle05



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Attempt at Humor, But she's here because it makes sense, Cheesy, Cute, Dating, Established Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, I'm Bad At Tagging, Iruma Miu Being Iruma Miu, Iruma Miu's Dirty Mouth, Kiibo needs love, Love Confessions, Oma Kokichi Is a Little Shit, Romance, Stargazing, she's a bitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23268688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pretzle05/pseuds/Pretzle05
Summary: There were pros and cons to having a robot boyfriend. Pros: never having to worry about paying for him at restaurants, he was easily excited and impressed by the most mundane couple activities, and he remembered absolutely everything. Cons: he was kind of difficult to cuddle with (though that could easily be remedied with the strategic employ of some blankets and soft sweaters), he didn’t understand a whole lot about relationships, and he remembered absolutelyeverything. So, when Y/N began to hint that she’d like to deepen their relationship, she got the impression that he didn’t quite get it, but that he certainly remembered.
Relationships: K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa)/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 136





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshot, but 30 word document pages and 16,504 words later and we all know that's not happening. Please tell me this fandom isn't dead yet and that there are still people out there who love the robot as much as I do. I've never just sat down and written an entire fic start to finish without pausing in between chapters, but I was on a roll with this one so I was able to churn it out in like a week or two. This is disgustingly cheesy, but I really enjoyed writing it and I hope that you all enjoy reading it. Please let me know what you think down in the comments! Thank you!

There were pros and cons to having a robot boyfriend. Pros: never having to worry about paying for him at restaurants, he was easily excited and impressed by the most mundane couple activities, and he remembered absolutely everything. Cons: he was kind of difficult to cuddle with (though that could easily be remedied with the strategic employ of some blankets and soft sweaters), he didn’t understand a whole lot about relationships, and he remembered absolutely _everything_. So, when Y/N began to hint that she’d like to deepen their relationship, she got the impression that he didn’t quite get it, but that he certainly remembered.

That was evident in the situation she currently found herself in.

Of all the things Y/N wanted to be doing with her Friday night, sitting in a dark lab and watching a known nymphomaniac tinker around with her boyfriend’s body was _not_ one of them. Apparently, Kiibo’s idea of a ‘next step’ in their relationship was her learning more about how he functions, and he thought the best way to do that was to have her sit in on one of his maintenance sessions with Miu.

“I’m always learning new stuff about humans,” he had said. “Won’t it be nice for you to learn some more about robots? It can be like a culture exchange!”

And while that wasn’t at all what Y/N meant, he had just been so excited about the whole idea that she just couldn’t say no to him. She swore he could ask her for a kidney with those big, innocent, blue eyes of his and she’d agree in a heartbeat (not that he’d have any need of one, but still). Besides, it would be a lie to say that she wasn’t curious about how he worked (what made him tick, so to speak). She just wished that she could have learned from _anyone other than Miu._

Now, Y/N was by no means a jealous person. However, she doubted that there was a single human being on the planet that would be okay with watching _this_ sickening scene play out. Maybe, just _maybe,_ she could have let it slide if she was actually learning something (preferably enough so that Kiibo never had to go to Miu for maintenance _ever again),_ but Miu was being absolutely no help at all. In fact, she was completely ignoring the fact that Y/N was even there at all. Honestly, she had to be ignoring her or have forgotten that she was there for her to do what she was doing (unless Miu really had _that little_ shame). She understood that it was probably necessary for her to be a little handsy with him but _by God_ did she have to go so far?

Miu was practically on top of him. No, scratch that, she was _completely_ on top of him. And, of course, Miu being Miu, she seemed to have a sexual comment for every single little procedure she did on him. Apparently, this was a completely normal occurrence, because while Kiibo’s face was quite flushed, he wasn’t completely freaking out as Y/N would have expected. It was getting to be too much. All Y/N had wanted was to hint that she wanted for them to have their first kiss soon. They had been dating for a little over four months now and while she wanted to give Kiibo as much time as he needed, knowing that he could be extremely shy about any kind of physical intimacy, she was staring to get impatient. In hindsight, she probably should have been more direct with her intentions. Had she been, she wouldn’t have to deal with seeing Miu _fondle_ her boyfriend.

“Ahem.” Y/N cleared her throat loudly, finally capturing Miu’s attention for a moment. “So, at what point today are you actually going to teach me something? Or are you just going to keep on pretending like I’m not here.” Her words had quite a bit more bite to them than she intended, but she didn’t care enough to correct herself and what could she say? She never much cared for Miu’s antics, and even less so now that she was _touching her boyfriend._

Y/N swore she wasn’t a jealous person.

Miu ignored Y/N’s venomous tone (she’d say she didn’t notice it, but you’d have to be deaf _and_ blind to not hear the utter contempt in her voice). Miu blinked twice, appearing to almost snap out of a stupor of sorts before _finally_ addressing Y/N. “Oh, Y/N, I suppose you’re still here.” She at least had the decency to look sheepish. “I’m almost done, but I _guess_ I could show you how to tighten up some of the loose screws and stuff. Even a moron couldn’t fuck up something as simple as that.”

Ooohh, this bitch was on _thin fucking ice._ First, she completely disregards Y/N’s presence, then she flings herself _all over_ Kiibo (who is very, _very_ taken), and now she had the _sheer audacity_ to imply that Y/N was an idiot?!?! Y/N would have found it almost laughable, really, had she not been so royally pissed. It was getting really difficult to hold back the urge to tackle her to the ground and strangle her, or at least impart some kind of violence upon her. However, she managed to hold herself back, if only for Kiibo’s sake.

With a strained smile Y/N pushed herself off the wall she’d been leaning against, choosing to be the better person and ignore the dig and the way it made her eye twitch. “Sure,” she said, only slightly gritting her teeth, “Show away.”

“Miu! That was highly unnecessary and inappropriate! I asked Y/N to come observe today; you don’t have to be rude!”

Y/N felt some of the tension leave her body and she smiled a little to herself. Good old Kiibo, always looking out for her. It was kind of adorable how offended he looked on her behalf, actually, his face all red and his mouth drawn into a hard little frown. It managed to brighten her mood a bit. Just a bit. “Don’t worry about it, hon. We’re all friends here,” she said. His face practically steamed at the pet name, so much so that Y/N was certain he missed the pointed look she sent Miu and the slight warning in her tone.

Miu rolled her eyes. She pointed out a few screws that still needed to be tightened and handed Y/N a screwdriver. She stepped back enough to give her some space but stayed close enough to monitor her. She was almost acting more protective of Kiibo than Y/N herself. She didn’t like it. 

Y/N stood in front of the examination table Kiibo was sitting on and gently grabbed his arm. She started at his shoulder, carefully screwing in anything that had come loose. He watched her silently with wide, awestruck eyes, his cheeks so hot Y/N could feel the heat radiating off of them. She was worried he was going to overheat and crash, as he had done many times before when she’d gotten a bit too close. The screws holding his body together were all very tiny, so she had to be very much in his personal space in order to see them. She worked her way down his arm, restarting at his other shoulder once she reached his wrist.

It was actually quite an intimate affair, one Y/N found herself enjoying immensely. Being this close, she was able to truly appreciate how intricately he was built. She was certainly no expert, but even she could tell how refined of a machine he was (as loathe as she was to refer to him as a machine, it was kind of impossible to ignore when she was literally tightening his screws). He was all miniscule parts and delicate wiring—it was quite incredible that he was even functioning; that he existed at all. She suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of appreciation for Professor Idabashi—for him creating something so wonderful and detailed: a person that she cared for so dearly.

While Kiibo didn’t have a heartbeat, per se, there was a steady thrumming noise from the fans in his chest, and Y/N could hear it speed up as she moved on to his hands, taking them into her own and gently tightening the joints of his fingers. She saw a few beads of sweat (oil? Whatever comes out when robots sweat) collect on his forehead. She turned his hand palm-up and continued working. He had been dead quiet ever since she started, but he let out a tiny, pleased sigh when she screwed back in a particularly loose screw. A bubble of pride welled up in her chest—he didn’t do that while Miu was working.

Remember. Y/N. Was. Not. A. Jealous. Person.

Once she was finished, Y/N smiled and nodded to herself, pleased. “Alright, honey, all done.” She brought his hands up to her face and placed a sweet kiss on his knuckles.

Kiibo sputtered, his face actually _glowing_ a bright red. “Th-thank you,” he stuttered, unable to meet her eyes with a small smile on his face.

Y/N chuckled. He was just too precious. All she did was give his hand a little peck and he was blushing and stammering like no tomorrow. She couldn’t help but voice her thoughts. “You’re so cute, Kiibo.”

“C-c-c-c-cute??” His voice glitched and cracked as he squeaked. “I-I don’t know about that…”

“Well I do. And what I know is that you are absolutely, positively, one hundred percent adorable.” She winked at him. What could she say? She liked to tease the poor boy sometimes. It was just too easy. She brought his other hand to her lips and gave it a kiss as well.

Kiibo stammered something incoherent before completely shutting down, likely overheating from embarrassment. Y/N sighed. _‘Oh dear. Did I go a bit too far?’_

“This is exactly why I didn’t want you here for this.” Miu finally spoke up, having stepped away and out of sight. Y/N jumped nearly ten feet in the air. She was so caught up in working on Kiibo that she had completely forgotten that Miu was even there. Heat rose to her face at the realization that she went through that whole embarrassing display right in front of her. Miu took the screwdriver back and scowled. “You two are disgusting. And I’m not gonna boot him back up for you, so don’t even ask. He’s _your_ problem now. Now get out of my lab ya filthy robot fucker!”

“Okay, A: that was uncalled for, and B: he weighs almost 200 pounds. How the hell am I supposed to move him?”

“Then you’d better hope he wakes up soon because, like I said, it’s not my problem. I’ve got better things to do than fix your walking vibrator.” Miu turned away and started tidying things up from the maintenance. She waved a hand behind her. “Get out of here ya animals!”

Y/N sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She certainly hoped he didn’t mind being dragged…

* * *

Luckily, he booted back up fairly quickly. He apologized profusely for the trouble, his face still glowing red. Y/N assured him she didn’t mind, but she was quite relieved to not have to drag him all the way back to his house. They walked together in comfortable silence. Y/N would’ve held his hand, but the poor boy still seemed fried from earlier and she didn’t want to risk him crashing again.

It probably wasn’t the best time, seeing as Kiibo was still quite flustered, but Y/N really needed to clarify what her original intentions were. Otherwise, she’d run the risk of waiting months upon months for any progress in their relationship (or worse, having to go through another Miu debacle, or something akin to it). 

He was just so sweet and caring—she couldn’t help but want to be closer to him, even if some people didn’t understand. He was just so shy at times. She got that he didn’t always understand these kinds of things, and it could take him a while to make sense of it all sometimes. That’s just something you agree to when you decide to start dating a robot. And she didn’t mind taking things slow, honestly. She actually wasn’t totally sure why she was so insistent on moving forward. It wasn’t like she’d never kissed anybody before. All she knew is that she really really _really_ wanted to kiss him, but she figured it’d be best to tell him first before she just sprung it on him. He may not have even known what kissing _was._ She didn’t want to risk making him uncomfortable just because of her own desires.

“So, Kiibo,” she began, getting his attention. “That was very nice.”

He seemed to brighten up at that. “You really think so? I’m glad! I know that I really enjoyed having you there, b-but I was worried that maybe you’d be bored.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I always love spending time with you, no matter what we’re doing.” She reached over and took his hand in hers. His blush darkened, but didn’t pull away, which Y/N took as a good sign. “But…” she continued tentatively, “It wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I said I wanted to… um… ‘take the next step.’”

He looked up at her quizzically, his eyebrows knitted together in mild concern. “Oh? What, uh, what _did_ you have in mind, then?”

Y/N couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes, instead opting to stare at their feet as they walked. A touch of heat rose to her cheeks. “Well… what I meant was, um, uh…” She chuckled nervously and swallowed. “Y-you know… l-like, s’more couple stuff, I guess…” She found her voice getting smaller the more she spoke, and her wishing more and more that she’d be swallowed by the ground.

“Couple stuff?” If he noticed her embarrassment, he made no indication of it. “I don’t think I understand. What kinds of couple activities have we not yet done? What other kinds of couple things even _are_ there?” He gasped. “A-are we behind?! Is there something we should have done by now that we haven’t?! Is our relationship in jeopardy?!”

Y/N couldn’t help but smile at his nervous antics. It was comforting to know how much he cared, at least. “No, no, honey, it’s nothing you have to worry about.” She gently ran her thumb over his knuckles, finding comfort in the feeling of the cool metal against her fingers. She briefly wondered if his lips would feel the same. She blinked the thought away before it could carry her away, even more flustered than before. “I-it’s just that… um… I, uh… w-what I mean is, um—have you ever kissed anyone before, Kiibo?” She cringed at her blunt wording.

He froze, his eyes wide and unblinking. Y/N was afraid he had shut down again until she saw a steady wave of red rise up from his neck and engulf his face. It would’ve been quite comedic, actually, had she not been just as mortified. “W-what?” he squeaked pathetically.

Y/N knew the answer, but she still felt the need to repeat the question. “Have you ever kissed anyone?” A drop of anxiety grew in her stomach, squashing any boldness she might have felt. “Because it’s totally okay if you haven’t…! A-and it’s not like we _need_ to or anything, but I mean if… you know… if you ever _wanted_ to… I, uh… wouldn’t… mind…” Her voice was barely audible to her own ears and she was certain her cheeks were redder than an overripe tomato at this point. She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

Kiibo looked stunned speechless, his mouth hanging open like a gaping fish. He made a few strangled noises before turning his head to the side and coughing lightly into his fist. “O-oh………… Duly… noted. I’ll, uh… keep that in mind.”

Y/N felt about ready to combust from sheer embarrassment. Luckily, sometime during her little tirade they had started walking again, and they now found themselves standing right outside Professor Idabashi’s front door. “Well, looks like we’re here wow look at the time I should probably get going now people to do things to see! I-I mean, um… I-I’ll just go. Goodbye, see you Monday!” And with that utterly _shameful_ goodbye, she turned on her heel and sprinted off towards home as fast as her jellified legs could carry her, wishing desperately that she could get struck by lightning.

Kiibo stood on the doorstep still in shock, staring after her. He slowly raised his hand to cover his mouth as he felt his face heat up for the umpteenth time that day. _‘She…… wants to kiss me,’_ he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be a part of the first chapter, but chapter one was already up to over 2,000 words, so I decided to split them up. Enjoy! Please let me know what you think in the comments!

Y/N spent the next few days trying to forget her horrifically awkward exchange with Kiibo. Albeit, this was a very difficult task, seeing as she sat next to him in every class and they spent a considerable amount of time together outside of school, but she tried, nonetheless. _‘Well, at least it’s finally out in the open. Can’t get a whole lot more direct than that.’_ She knew that he remembered (she doubted anyone could forget something like that, but also, you know, robot brain), but he at least had the courtesy to not bring it up. Or maybe he was also busy trying to pretend it didn’t happen. Second-hand embarrassment’s a bitch.

Either way, things mostly went on as normal, with the only addition being an even more burning intolerance for Miu’s handsy antics on Y/N’s part (Y/N _was not_ a jealous person). As much as she wanted to kiss him (and believe me, she really _really_ wanted to), she didn’t want to pressure him into it. These types of things should come naturally. So then why did she feel so nervous about all of this?

Despite her embarrassment from her verbal barfing that somehow qualified as a confession, since that day she’d been discretely looking for the moment to present itself. Any walk, date, or lunch period was a new opportunity. However, she was so obsessed with finding the most natural moment that she ironically found herself getting worked up about it.

About a week and a half after the incident, she was eating lunch with Kiibo as usual. He couldn’t eat, obviously, but Y/N thought it was sweet that he still chose to accompany her. As much as she enjoyed spending time with the rest of her classmates, the bustle of the cafeteria could become too much very quickly. So, most of the time they opted to spend their lunch period alone in the courtyard. It ended up being a nice little tradition of theirs—a time for them to get away from the craziness of their class and lives.

Y/N was waiting at their usual spot on a bench underneath some shady trees. She had just begun to open her lunch box when she heard Kiibo call out to her. “Y/N, Y/N!” He was running so fast Y/N was certain he’d be panting and out of breath if he needed to breathe. He beamed up at her so brightly she wouldn’t have been surprised if his eyes started glowing. “I have something wonderful to show you!”

“Oh?” She hadn’t seen him this excited in quite some time. “What is it? I’d love to see!” She scooted over and patted the spot on the bench next to her.

He sat down, practically bouncing with excitement. “Miu recently gave me a new upgrade!” The mention of Miu dropped Y/N’s mood a bit, but she just couldn’t stay jealous when he was his happy and excited. A light pink blush bloomed across his face almost unnoticeably, and he began to drum his fingers against his leg. “So, um, you know, we spend lunch together every day, and well, I was thinking that… maybe it’d be nice if we could actually share a meal together, so I had Miu install a new feature to my body that allows me to eat!”

“Really? Oh Kiibo, that’s wonderful!” Y/N clapped her hands together enthusiastically. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Isn’t it? You’re always talking about how much you love food—now I can experience for myself what all the fuss is about!”

Y/N’s cheeks warmed slightly. “Oh, um, do I really talk about food that much?” She suppressed the mild embarrassment. “So, did you bring something to eat?”

Kiibo’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh no! It, um, seems as though I was in such a rush to tell you about it that I forgot to get anything.” He looked down at his lap bashfully. “I suppose we won’t be eating together today either.”

“Nonsense.” Y/N smiled warmly, picking back up her neglected lunchbox. “You can have some of my food. Though I can’t promise it’s the best, I’d be happy to share with you!”

Kiibo perked right up. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Of course! But like I said, no promises on the quality.” She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “It’s just some leftovers from my dinner last night. If I had known this was going to be your first meal, I would’ve spent the time to make sure it was something nice.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he chirped, beaming. “I’m sure anything you made will taste great! Besides, I’m just happy to be able to share this with you at all!”

Y/N felt the tell-tale warmth of a blush begin to creep up to her face. Kiibo was too sweet for his own good sometimes. It was bad for her heart. He was going to be the death of her. “O-oh, um, thank you. I’m happy too.” Just before she was about to hand him her lunch, however, an idea popped into her head. She grinned slyly. “Buuuuuuut, if you’re going to be eating my lunch, then you’re gonna have to do it my way.”

He cocked his head to the side curiously. “What do you mean?”

Her grin grew wider. She popped the lid off her lunchbox and stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. She raised it up to his face and winked. “Say ahh~.”

Kiibo’s entire face lit up red like a Christmas tree. He stuttered something incomprehensible before managing to squeak out, “W-w-what? I-isn’t that, you know…” He coughed into his fist. “something you do with, um… children?”

“Oooooor with your partner!” She sighed airily. “But _I guess_ if you don’t want to, I can always enjoy this delicious day-old chicken all by myself.”

“N-no, I’ll do it!” He looked off to the side, his face still burning red. “A-ahh~.”

Y/N squealed happily and clapped her hands together. She picked the fork with the chicken on it back up and popped it in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then swallowed. Y/N waited with bated breath for his reaction. “That… was… amazing!” He grinned brightly, stars shining in his eyes.

Y/N smiled back. “I’m so glad to hear that! Just wait until you try _good_ food. We’ll have to go out sometime!”

“Th-that sounds really nice. I’d really like that.” He fiddled with his fingers and ducked his head down, looking up at her shyly. “Could I… please have some more?”

“But of course, love. What, so eager to be fed?” She couldn’t help but tease him a bit more.

“I wouldn’t say that, but, um, I definitely didn’t hate it.” His smile turned slightly mischievous. “But it certainly seems as though you’re rather eager to feed me.”

“Well, maybe I am.” Her grin grew less playful and more genuine. “It’s a cute couple thing, you know. You see it on TV and in movies and stuff—so what if I’m a little excited to try it out?”

“I suppose that’s true.” He scratched his cheek and chuckled, still quite red-faced. “So, um… shall we continue?”

“Gladly!” They spent the majority of the lunch period with Y/N feeding him various foods from her lunchbox. She didn’t end up actually eating much of it—his reactions were just so cute, and she was sure he was enjoying it far more than she would have.

Sometime near the end of lunch he finished eating. “Thank you so much, Y/N! This was quite the experience.” His smile fell and his eyes widened in realization. “Oh no, you didn’t get to eat anything! I’m sorry, I guess I got a little carried away.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.”

“But aren’t you hungry?”

“Nah, not really. And besides.” She scooted closer to him and hugged his arm. “You were just so cute and excited. How could I have said no?”

“O-oh, um…” His cheeks lit up pink again. “Thank you. Y-you… you’re cute too.”

“Aww, thanks Kiibo!” Being this close, she noticed that he had a little speck of food on the corner of his lip. “Oh, wait one sec, you’ve got a little something right there.” Without thinking, she reached up and cupped his cheek. She paused. Instead of the cool metal she was expecting to feel under her hand, his face seemed to be covered by some sort of soft synthetic material. She took a moment to examine it, lightly stroking his cheek. It felt cooler than normal skin and slightly less pliable as she pressed her fingers against it—more like scar tissue than anything. Impossibly smooth, with not a single bump, blemish, or discoloration as far as she could see (or feel). She supposed it made sense, seeing as he was a robot, but it was different coming face to face with that reality. He was…… _perfect._ And so so _so_ beautiful it hurt. All long lashed and big, bright, blue _blue_ eyes staring at her with some combination of shock and awe. Her heart clenched painfully as she was flooded with an overwhelming emotion she couldn’t quite place, one that stole the air right out of her lungs and made her throat go dry.

“Y-Y/N…?”

She ran her thumb over his lower lip, wiping away the crumb that had stuck there. It was just as smooth as the rest of his face and slightly more plush. She heard his breath hitch (quite a feat for someone who doesn’t need to breathe). “There,” she murmured, barely above a whisper. “All gone.” But she didn’t move away. She swallowed thickly. Her heart pounded against her ribcage furiously, and she found herself unconsciously leaning closer. The light pink of his cheeks had turned a burning crimson by now, but he didn’t move. She let her thumb pass over his lips one more time. Inches. Merely inches and there’d be no space between them at all. Just a few _tiny_ inches and she’d finally get to feel what those impossibly smooth lips would feel like against hers. “K-Kiibo, I—”

“OOOOOOOH, _what_ is going on over here????”

They jumped apart, Y/N’s ears burning worse than a hot shower on a sunburn. She floundered for a moment before her eyes landed on the shit-eating grin of the absolute _last_ person on God’s green earth she wanted to see right now: Kokichi Ouma.

Y/N was pretty sure Kiibo was about to burst into flames from embarrassment (she could practically _see_ the error signs flashing in his eyes), so she took it upon herself to address the living shit-stain. “What the fuck do you want, Kokichi? We’re kind of in the middle of something here.” ~~(Hey, she never said she was going to be nice about it).~~

Kokichi gasped theatrically and put a hand over his heart. “Y/N how harsh of you! To think you would use such _vulgar_ language! Is that any way to greet your friend?”

“We’re not friends,” she deadpanned. “And I can speak however the fuck I want.”

“Alright, suit yourself. You know, no one’s going to like you if you act like such a bitch all the time, but I guess that’s your prerogative.” Y/N gritted her teeth, biting back another comment. It would only egg him on. Kokichi turned his attention to Kiibo, giving him the brightest phony smile Y/N had ever seen. “Kiiboy! _You’re_ my friend, right?” Kiibo was still blushing and steaming so hard he couldn’t respond. Y/N was starting to worry that maybe he’d broken. “No? Aww, boo. Though I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised—not like robots can really have friends anyways,” Kokichi prattled on. His grin grew mischievous and sinister as he sauntered over to their bench, leaning uncomfortably close to Kiibo’s face. “Why, you’re looking quite red there, Kiiboy! Am I…… _interrupting_ something?”

Y/N scowled, crossing her arms. “You are, actually. And how about you learn to mind your own fucking business.”

“Aww but getting into other people’s business is so much fun!” He rocked back and forth on his heels, that insufferable grin plastered wide on his face. “Especially _this_ business. What were you doing exactly? You weren’t about to do something _dirty_ were you? Something _inappropriate?_ At school no less? I’ve gotta say, Y/N, I never thought you’d be desperate enough to fuck a robot. It’s pretty pathetic, actually!”

“Leave her alone, Kokichi!” Kiibo finally found his voice, and did he sound _mad._ Y/N was startled—she didn’t think she’d ever seen him this angry. He was practically fuming, his face red for an entirely different reason than before. “Just because you can’t understand something doesn’t mean that you can attack and demean someone who does. You aren’t welcome here so just _go away.”_

If Y/N didn’t know any better, she could’ve sworn she saw a flash of surprise on Kokichi’s face. “Oh wow, that’s weak Y/N. You really need your little _boyfriend_ to defend your whore ass? And here I thought you were a strong independent young woman.”

“Hey, Kokichi? Go fuck yourself.” Y/N swore if he spoke two more words, she was going to wring out his scrawny little twink neck.

“Aww, sorry but my schedule’s all filled up. But I guess I’ll get out of your hair. For now. I can tell when I’m not wanted. Toodles!” And with that, the menace known as Kokichi Ouma finally left them in peace.

Y/N’s anger simmered down now that he was gone and morphed into concern when she saw the crestfallen look on Kiibo’s face. She laid a comforting hand on his arm. “Hey, Kiibo, are you okay? I’m sorry you had to deal with all that.”

Kiibo shook his head. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m used to him making fun of me. I… I just hated the way he talked about _you._ Like there was something wrong with you. I’m sorry. This was supposed to be a nice time together and you ended up getting harassed because of me.”

“Oh Kiibo, baby, no,” she cooed, bringing her hand up to stroke his cheek lovingly. “Don’t ever apologize for that. It’s not your fault _at all._ He’s just a dick and always will be. I’ve still had a great time with you today, and I refuse to let him ruin it.”

He smiled a little, his spirits seemingly lifting at her words. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s just focus on all the fun we’ve had today.”

“That’s the spirit.” She grinned playfully and she ran her thumb across his cheek once more. “Now, where were we?”

Kiibo flushed bright red. “W-what? Oh, um… I don’t know.” He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. “What exactly… _were_ we doing?”

Y/N winked and put on her best flirtatious tone. “I suppose that’s for you to find out.”

“Um, I—”

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Y/N sighed internally. She was _so close. ‘Damn you, Kokichi Ouma.'_ She attempted to mask her disappointment. “Oh well. I suppose we’ll have to pick this up another time. Come on, honey, let’s get to class.” The pet name was a guaranteed way to get him to devolve into a blushing, stuttering mess, so he didn’t object when she took his hand and stood them up. She wouldn’t push it. She _refused_ to push it, no matter how much she wanted to. It had to come naturally. It had to be natural.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: Kokichi is incredibly fun to write.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is _way_ more sexual tension in this chapter than I intended, so make of that what you will. Also I adore the idea of Kiibo in a sweater, so he can wear clothes now. There's also one little nudge to my previous Kiibo/Reader fic I wrote some time ago if you read that. Enjoy!

It had to be perfect.

That’s what Kiibo had been thinking since the day Y/N accompanied him to his maintenance. He’d been a complete nervous wreck since then, and the incident at lunch a week after only exacerbated the problem. He had no idea what to do with the information that Y/N _wanted to_ _kiss him._ He was still trying to process the fact that he even had a _girlfriend._ It all just felt like too much. It wasn’t that he didn’t _want_ to, God no, but he didn’t know if he _could._ Just thinking about it made him overheat to the point of nearly crashing. It took him weeks to muster up the courage to ask to hold her hand, and even then, she’d beaten him to it—now they were moving on to _kissing???_

He was fully aware that this relationship was progressing… slowly, to say the least. He greatly appreciated Y/N’s understanding, but he realized that it must be a bit frustrating for her. He just felt so behind, like he was at a disadvantage to most people because he lacked the basic knowledge about dating most had. He also realized (with the help of some research) that most couples probably would have kissed by now, several times, actually. They’d been dating for almost four-and-a-half months, for goodness sake. That was only a month and-a-half shy of half a year! 

He’d realized a lot during his research, among that being that it was kind of unusual for the girl to be instigating these kinds of things. Not that there was anything wrong with that (she usually paid for herself on dates as well), but he felt absolutely awful for making her wait so long that she felt the need to go out of her way like that.

Another thing that he learned brought him quite a bit of distress: girls generally find first kisses very important and special. Now, he had no way of knowing whether or not Y/N had kissed anybody before ~~(unless he asked, but he’d undoubtedly overheat from sheer mortification before he managed to get the words out, so that was out of the question)~~ , but it’d be her first kiss with him, so he was going to treat it the same way. She obviously found it important enough to bring up with him.

As much as it made his face burn, Kiibo was very glad Y/N had spoken to him about it, however briefly. He didn’t know how he’d handle it if he had no time to prepare himself before something like that was just sprung on him. But that brought him to the burning question that had been plaguing his mind for days: how do you make a first kiss special? He’d looked up some ideas online, but none of them seemed like enough. He’d made her wait for such a long time, he felt he had to do something extra special to make it up to her. Asking for advice was out of the question, seeing as last time Kokichi almost had him setting off a fireworks display, so it was up to his own ingenuity. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much in the way of creativity, but he thought he had come up with a plan that would make it _perfect._ Or, well, at least as perfect as possible.

He started by asking her on a date, the obvious first step. She seemed surprised, probably because she’s usually the one to arrange dates, but by her glowing smile that made his circuits melt and her joyful acceptance he knew she was pleased. If it made her this happy, maybe he should try being more forward more often. He’d bought two tickets to see the latest horror film and made dinner reservations at her favorite restaurant for afterwards (that part was a bit of a surprise). He wasn’t very fond of scary movies, but he knew that she loved them and would appreciate him going out of his way to do something she liked. He just hoped it wasn’t _too_ scary. 

He was worried about being late, so he ended up getting to the movie theater way too early. He already had the tickets, so he was stuck standing awkwardly in the foyer until Y/N arrived. He got quite a few weird looks, including a few young children pulling on their mothers’ sleeves and pointing. He was used to it, but it still dampened his spirits a little. But any semblance of negativity completely vanished once Y/N walked through the door

“Hey, Kiibo. I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.” There was a peppy bounce in her step that made him smile. “Oh, you look so cute, honey! You didn’t have to dress up.”

He flushed. He had taken off some of his protective metal plates and put on a nice, soft sweater and pants. It _was_ a horror movie, after all, and he’d read that it was common for dates to… cling to each other for comfort. He didn’t want to risk Y/ N accidentally hurting herself. Plus, he thought it’d make the day more special if he looked nice. He’d tried to style his hair a bit, but it had a tendency to just… stay in place so that didn’t quite work out. “Um, thank you. You look nice too."

“This old thing?” She played with the hem of her skirt. “I just grabbed the first thing I saw in my closet this morning. I’m honestly feeling a little shown up here, hehe.”

Kiibo got the feeling that that was a bit of a lie. The light pink dusting across her cheekbones and the nice touch of makeup told a very different story than her words. The skirt and blouse she was wearing obviously weren’t old, not with the clean press of a brand-new outfit still on them. That, and it didn’t hurt that he’d never seen her wear them before. He thought it was sweet though, so he didn’t question it. “Well, I still think you look lovely. Thanks so much for coming here with me today.”

Y/N blushed a bit darker but smiled warmly. “Thank _you_ for inviting me.” She wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. He stiffened ~~(only partially because his face was practically buried in her chest)~~ but relaxed after a moment and hugged her back. She pulled away and latched onto his arm. “C’mon, let’s go get some popcorn.”

He nodded, more than a little red in the face. They bought some typical movie theater snacks (complete with more strange looks from the concessions workers) and got seated in the theater. As soon as the previews began, Kiibo was on edge. Of course, a scary movie would have previews for _more_ scary movies before it. He was beginning to very much regret his decision. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck.

Y/N must have noticed his discomfort, because she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “Don’t worry too much, ‘kay? You can always grab onto me if you get too scared.” She winked cheekily.

He tried to laugh, but it ended up coming out a little dry. It was meant as a joke, but he was pretty certain he’d be taking her up on the offer at least once. As if to demonstrate his point, a jump scare popped up during one of the previews, causing him to yelp and cling to her. He blinked once and pulled away, his internal fans whirring so fast he was sure she could hear it. “O-oh, um… sorry.”

Her eyes shone in the darkness with an emotion he couldn’t quite place, staring at him intensely. She looked away and rubbed the back of her neck, chuckling sheepishly. “N-no, don’t be. I did offer, didn’t I? Oh! It’s starting!” And then the moment was gone, and her attention was fixed solely on the screen. Kiibo swallowed. This was going to be a long two hours.

However, the oddest thing happened. Throughout the movie, at all the parts that made Kiibo quiver in fear, Y/N was… laughing? Nothing loud and obnoxious that would disturb other movie-goers, but a quiet, suppressed snicker. He was deeply confused. Was she not scared? Didn’t she like being scared? A dreadful thought came over him. Was she not enjoying herself? She was laughing, which would _normally_ indicate happiness, but he’d been wrong about these kinds of things before. As loathe as he was to be rude and talk during a movie, he decided that running the risk of Y/N not having a good time was a greater sin. He leaned over to whisper in her ear (though he didn’t have to go very far considering that she still had her arm around him). “Are you… not enjoying the movie?”

“What?” she said in an equally hushed tone. “What are you talking about? I love it!”

“Oh, it’s just, um, you don’t seem particularly, um… scared. I thought you liked being scared.” It was a relief that she was happy, but he was still very confused.

She smiled down at him. “Kiibo, I don’t like horror movies because I like being scared—I like horror movies because I think they’re funny!”

“…What?” Kiibo was terrified out of his mind. He didn’t see how anyone could find this _funny._

“Yeah! All the characters just act so unrealistically, the genre is _full_ of overused tropes, and most of the time the entire situation could be avoidable if every single person in the movie wasn’t a complete idiot. I like to poke fun at the bad writing and the characters’ poor decisions.”

“O-oh. I, um, guess that makes sense.” He didn’t understand at all, but he was glad she was enjoying herself. A particularly nasty scare popped on screen just then and he jolted with a little scream, clutching Y/N and burying his face in the crook of her neck. He was more in her lap than in his seat at this point, but he was so afraid he couldn’t find it in him to care much.

He felt her tense and freeze. She relaxed after a moment, hugging him closer. “O-of course, it’s not for everyone. It’s okay to be scared.” She leaned down to murmur directly in his ear. “Why don’t you sit in my seat with me? It’s a big chair. It can’t be very comfortable for you to twist like that.”

Under literally any other circumstance he would have been far too embarrassed to even consider it. They were in _public_ for goodness sake! But, being as it were, he scrambled as quick as he could into her seat. There was quite a bit of extra room but not nearly enough for two people to sit side by side, so he ended up half-way in her lap. Once again, he would have been flustered to no end, but he was very _very_ scared. She didn’t seem to mind much, though, seeing as she took it as an opportunity to pull him even closer to her. He kept his face turned away from the screen and buried in her neck, nuzzling in even more at the loud shriek that came from the movie. “I… think I’ll just… stay here for the rest of the movie,” he muttered into the skin of her neck.

Her whole body shivered, and her breath hitched. He could feel heat radiate off of her face. She let out a shaky breath. “…That’s okay. Do… do what you need to.” 

She held him close for the rest of the movie. At some point, she started to soothingly stroke his hair and whisper comedic commentary whenever he jumped even the tiniest bit. It made the whole experience a lot less frightening, so much so that his mind started to wander to other things. Other, very _distracting_ things. Like how nice her skin and hair smelled—clean and earthy and slightly... floral? Was she wearing a new perfume? Like the feeling of her fingers raking through his hair, nails lightly scraping against his scalp sending little shocks and tingles all up and down his spine. Like how comforting the sound of her voice was at the moment, all quiet and low and smooth. Like honey or maple syrup. And, had she always sounded so… raspy? So gravelly? He could feel the gentle rumble of her voice reverberate in her chest where it was pressed against his, along with the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.

What strange things heartbeats were, Kiibo thought. A red, fleshy organ about the size of a fist beats about 80 times every minute (1.333333 times every second, 4,800 times every hour, 115,200 times every day, 42,048,000 times every year), pumping warm, red blood through those tiny blue lines spidering across her hands and even more that he couldn’t see, and kept one of the most important people in his world alive. Kept all people alive. It made her warm, as opposed to how cold he was all the time. If it ever stopped or stalled between beats for even a moment too long, it could all be over. It was almost as if it was aware of the magnitude of its job, as impossible as Kiibo knew that to be, because it beat so hard and fast that he could hear it, _feel_ it, when he was pressed up against her chest like this. He found it strangely soothing. If he were a human, he probably would have fallen asleep by now.

He felt a soft pressure on the top of his head, different from her fingers in his hair. _‘Did she just…?’_ His face erupted in red at the realization that she had just kissed him. Sure, it was only on the head, and it definitely didn’t count as their first kiss, but it was a kiss, nonetheless. If he wasn’t distracted from the movie before, he certainly was now. And it didn’t regain his attention until the credits rolled and the lights turned back on.

Y/N gently patted his head. “It’s over. You can get up now.” Her voice sounded slightly hoarse for some reason.

He quickly scrambled off of her before anyone could see. He immediately missed the contact, but it was highly inappropriate to cuddle in a public area. He didn’t have to miss it too much for too long, however, because she stood herself up and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers together. She smiled down at him (she was quite a bit taller than him, a fact he was reminded of every time she stood up. He was only slightly self-conscious about it). They walked out of the theater hand-in hand.

Kiibo tried not to think too much about what had happened in the theater, but his mind couldn’t help but keep wandering back to it. It was completely innocent, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was _literally sitting in her lap_ for over an hour. Just the thought made his face steam—he couldn’t believe he had actually done it. He wanted to start being more forward, but not _that_ forward. He actually felt a little bad about it; he wasn’t exactly the lightest, so it mustn’t have been very comfortable for her. He gathered his courage and looked up at her. “I, um… I’m sorry about all that. During the movie, I mean.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that one bit. I offered, didn’t I?” The light pink tint to her cheeks and the way she sheepishly rubbed her neck clashed with her nonchalant tone. “Anyways, where are we off to now? You said something about a surprise?”

“Ah, yes!” Kiibo snapped out of his embarrassment, remembering. The dinner reservations! If they didn’t head out soon, they’d be late! “We need to get going!” He dragged her outside, not noticing her surprised little yelp. “I’m, uh, going to have to ask you to do something kind of strange, b-but I promise it’s for a good reason!” He ducked his head and looked up at her, fiddling with his fingers.

She cocked her head to the side curiously. “Hmm? What is it?”

“I, um… c-could you, um… could you maybe please… close your eyes? I promise I’ll make sure you don’t trip or run into anything! It’s just, uh, you know, a surprise so I thought maybe it’d be better if you, um, couldn’t see where we’re going…”

“Oh, uh, sure. Just don’t let me fall, okay?”

“I-I would never!” He took a bit more offense to that implication than he probably should have.

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m just teasing ya, I know you’ll take care of me.” Her phrasing made him blush. Her eyes fluttered shut, a pleasant smile gracing her lips. “Lead the way.”

Kiibo was glad she couldn’t see his red face. He’d embarrassed himself enough already on this date. With his hand still in hers, he gently led her down the street, eyes ever vigilant for any pebbles underfoot or cracks in the sidewalk that she could trip over. They got a few odd stares from some passersby, but that was normal, and he was far too focused to care. He spared a glance behind his shoulder to look at her. The small smile on her face had grown into a wide grin. She was biting her lip, as thought she was trying to suppress a giggle. He smiled to himself, a warm feeling spreading throughout his circuits. If she was this happy, maybe all the embarrassment wasn’t so bad.

He stopped abruptly. “Alright, we’re here! You can open your eyes.”

Her eyes blinked open, then they widened as she gasped in delight. “Oh my gosh, Kiibo this is my favorite restaurant! How did you know?”

“I have my sources.” ~~(AKA he just asked Kaede).~~ “The other day you were saying that we should go out together to eat sometime, and I was thinking you could show me some of your favorite foods. What better place to do that than at your favorite restaurant?”

“Oh, honey, that’s so sweet of you!” She gave him a tight hug, leaving him a nervous mess once again ~~(Curse you Professor Idabashi for making him so short).~~ “But, I, um… don’t have much money. I didn’t realize you’d be taking me here, of all places, so I didn’t bring a ton. I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can afford to eat here right now.” She pulled away, a downcast expression crossing over her face.

“That’s not a problem! I can pay!” It might put a dent in his wallet, but he’d been saving up and he knew it’d be worth it. It needed to be an extra special day, after all.

“Kiibo, that’s really sweet of you, but this place can be kind of expensive. I’d feel terrible if I made you pay for it all.”

“No, really, I want to. If it makes you feel better, you can pay next time.” The little smile she gave at the prospect of a next time made his mechanical heart melt. A soft heat rose to his cheeks and he turned his eyes to the ground. “I, um… I want to do something special for you.”

She gave him a soft sort of look that made him feel like melting into a puddle of goo. She brushed her knuckles against his cheek lovingly. “Everything we do together is special to me but thank you. I’ll be sure to take you up on that." She pulled her hand away and clapped, a wide grin spreading across her face. “Alright! I’m getting pretty hungry, let’s head inside.”

“Y-yes, right.” He snapped out of his reverie and followed her in. They were right on time, so they were seated immediately, though the greeter did a bit of a double take when they walked in. It wasn’t anything crazy (fancy places made Y/N nervous), but it was a nice place. He wasn’t used to actually ordering when they went out to eat, so he was a little overwhelmed by all the options, especially since he really didn’t know what he liked and disliked yet. Y/N helped him choose something, though.

The waiter greeted them after a little while. “Hello there, you two. I’ll be your waiter for this evening. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Just water for me, thank you.” Y/N smiled politely.

“Oh, um, nothing for me, please. I probably shouldn’t.” Y/N gave Kiibo an understanding look. The waiter stared at him for a moment, a strange expression on his face. He seemed to look him up and down. He began to sweat a little. “Um, is something wrong?”

“No…” the waiter drawled contemplatively. “Nothing at all. I’ll go get that water for you.” He sharply turned around on his heel and left.

Y/N gave Kiibo a look as if to say, _‘What was that about?’_ He just shrugged. The waiter came back after a moment with the glass of water, setting it down on front of Y/N. “Do you know what you’ll be having tonight, Miss? Or do you need some more time?”

“No, it’s fine, we’re ready.” She emphasized the ‘we’, but not enough to be overly noticeable. She told him her order, which he quickly jotted down on his notepad.

The waiter then turned to Kiibo. He had a very conflicted look on his face, as though he was struggling to determine whether or not to ask for his order as well. He decided to spare him the trouble and just told him what he wanted. The waiter still looked quite confused, but slightly less troubled. He took their menus and left them alone once again.

They chatted for a little while about this and that. At some point, Kiibo mustered up all of his courage and reached across the table to intertwine their fingers together. He ended up rambling on and on about something he couldn’t quite remember, as he was prone to do when he was nervous. He was a little worried about boring her, but she just stared at him with a dreamy sort of look in her eyes, her head resting in her hand, and ran her thumb over her knuckles. He got the impression that he could’ve been saying literally anything, and she would’ve looked at him the exact same way. He could’ve talked about the history of yarn or the joys of watching paint dry and he knew that he’d still have her undivided attention—that she’d still look at him with those deeply adoring eyes. It was enough to make any robot (or human, for that matter) feel special. He decided right then that it didn’t mater if the food tasted absolutely disgusting or if the waiter spilled water on him and he glitched out; it was all worth it just to have her looking at him the way she was at that very moment.

After while the waiter returned with their food. He didn’t say anything, just set down the plates and briskly walked away. Y/N made a face. “Well, that was a bit rude. He could’ve at least said _‘enjoy’_ or something.”

“Some people are just like that, I suppose.” Kiibo shrugged, but otherwise put it out of his mind. They ate, and he found that Y/N hadn’t been wrong about how wonderful food could be. In fact, he was so wrapped up in enjoying his meal that he didn’t notice the way that her eyes shifted across the room or the way she fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. 

She gave his hand a squeeze, drawing his attention. She looked nervous, eyebrows drawn together and eyes not quite meeting his. She leaned across the table and said in a hushed voice, “Does it bother you?”

He was confused. “What are you talking about? The food is great!”

“N-no, not that. The…” She fumbled for a moment, looking conflicted. “You know.”

“What? No, I don’t think I do.”

“Just…” She seemed to shrink in her seat and squeezed his hand tighter. “Look around for a second, okay?”

“Okay…?” He had no clue what she was going on about, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen her look this uncomfortable. He was getting worried. He did as he was told and took a glance around the restaurant. Dozens of heads immediately turned away as he scanned the room. “Oh… That.”

“Do you see what I mean? Does it… bother you? Being out in public and having everyone and their mother stare at you?” She looked at him pleadingly.

He leaned back in his seat and thought for a moment, wanting to choose his words carefully. “…A bit, I suppose. Of course, it’s… upsetting, but I’m kind of used to it by now. It’s just always been this way”

“I’m sorry. It’s not right. You shouldn’t have to be used to it.”

That brought a bit of a smile to his face. “I know it’s not. But I have people like you, so it’s not so bad.”

She flushed and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “I-I’m glad that I can help, even if it’s just a little.” She paused. “…Are you sure you’re okay going out to do stuff with me? I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable just because I want to go out. We can always have home dates.”

“Of course I am!” he exclaimed; a bit too loud. He could _feel_ eyes boring into him. He lowered his voice back to an appropriate level. “I think the real question is i-if _you’re_ alright being in public with me. I’m used to drawing attention, but I don’t want you to feel embarrassed by it.”

“Oh, honey, no. Not at all.” She gave him a soft look and stroked his hand with her thumb again. “It’s a little unsettling, sure, but being with you is worth it.”

He made an odd beeping sound he’d never heard himself make before. He flushed dark red in embarrassment, which in turn just made him make the same noise again. He buried his face in his hands, mortified. Y/N just laughed and shook her head. After that, they ate in peace, occasionally chatting here and there.

Once they finished their meal, Kiibo paid (with only minimal pouting from Y/N) and walked her home. He could feel himself begin sweat. The moment of truth was approaching, and the nearer it came the more nervous he felt. What if she didn’t like it? I mean, she did say that she wanted to, but what if it didn’t live up to her expectations? He wasn’t unaware of his… limitations as a robot. What if this was one of them? What if she thought it was strange? What if she didn’t want to be with him anymore afterwards? Why was he even doing this in the first place?

Because he loved her.

Because she was so kind, and he knew she’d do anything for him if he asked, as impossible as that was to believe.

Because when she laughed, or when her eyes lit up when she talked about something she loved, he had to swallow down the lump that formed in his throat, and he knew that if he had any breath he’d be holding it.

Because the warm feeling of the soft skin of her palms pressing against his nearly made him short circuit if he focused on it too much, yet made this overwhelming warmth and comfort wash over him at the same time.

Because seeing her right now, as they walked in the fading light of the evening with their palms pressed together and the sound of her laughter—not soft and melodious like he’d seen romanticized, but loud and harsh and vibrant and _real_ — filling the air around them and her kind eyes lighting up in the dark, he knew. It filled up every crease and crevice inside of him like a warm current. It nestled somewhere deep inside his chest, tender and profound and aching. He’d once researched what love was, when he first started dating Y/N. but he wasn’t quite satisfied with the answers he found. He didn’t understand. But now he knew—what else could animate him in such a way? Why else could he feel as though he had a heart and veins and blood flowing through them—alive, real, _human._

It was because he loved her.

And suddenly, he wasn’t so scared anymore.

Though that’s not to say that he was completely fearless.

They reached her front door, pausing outside for a moment. She turned to face him, smiling wide. “Thank you so much for today. I had a wonderful time.”

“Y-you’re welcome. I did too.”

She waited expectantly while Kiibo silently panicked, trying to think of how to segue into a kiss. When he made no move to do anything and remained silent, she began to open the door. “Well, then, goodnight.”

“W-wait!” He grabbed her arm perhaps a bit too harshly. “I… I have something for you…!” He dug around in his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a small box.

She took it, eyeing it curiously, and opened the lid to reveal a pair of small, colorful earrings. She gasped. “Oh, Kiibo, they’re beautiful! Thank you! You’re so sweet.” She popped her current earrings out and exchanged them for the new ones. She gave him a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Heat rose to his face as he wrapped his arms around her in return. “You’re… you’re welcome. I, um, saw them the other day and they reminded me of you, so…”

She pulled away and placed a hand on her chest. “And so romantic, too! Oh, be still my beating heart. How did I ever get so lucky?”

“What? W-why would you want your heart to stop?” Did she really not like them? But she was acting happily? “I’m sorry if I did something wrong, please don’t do that!”

She blinked owlishly before melting into an easy smile and chuckling. “Oh, honey, it’s just an expression. You did very very well.” She patted him on the cheek fondly. “Thank you very much.”

“They… they look very beautiful on you…” His shyness was starting to return full-force.

“Aww, thank you. You are just the sweetest.”

He gently wrapped his hand around her wrist, stopping her from moving her hand away from his face. He murmured, “…But… but n-not as beautiful as you…” He wanted to physically cringe at how bad the line was. He just didn’t know what else to say! And he was pretty sure he wasn’t saying it completely right.

Even so, she still blushed. “W-well, _that_ was corny. But still sweet, so, thank you again.” She started to pull her hand away, but his grip tightened just a little. She looked at him curiously, her head tilted to the side. “Kiibo?”

“Y-Y/N, I, um…” He took a step closer. “I-I…” He started to lean up on his toes, his internal fans whirring a mile a minute.

“Yes…?” She leaned down a bit. He could feel her warm breath fanning across his face.

He reached a shaking hand up to her shoulder. He pushed himself up a few more inches and then………………………………………………………………………………………………

Everything went black.

* * *

He came to a few minutes later, his head pounding. His vision swam until it sharpened to reveal Y/N’s concerned face hovering over him. “Oh my gosh, Kiibo are you okay?!?!”

He pushed himself off the ground so he was sitting up (since when was he laying in the ground?), groaning. “Ugh, my head… What…… happened?”

“I-I don’t know! Your eyes went dark and you just fell over!!! Are you alright?!?”

He rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head (probably from hitting it on the concrete porch). Realization dawned on him, and he began to turn a furious shade of red that’d put Himiko’s hair to shame. He turned away and coughed into his fist in a desperate attempt to dispel some of the awkwardness he felt. It didn’t work. “It, um… appears as though I……… overheated.” God, _why?????_ Why _him???_ Why _now???_ He wished for nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him into the depths of oblivion, where he’d stay until the day he died.

“………Oh. Um… so, are you okay? Do you need to lay down or something? You can come inside if you want.”

Bless her and all her understanding but he’d never been _so mortified_ in all his _life._ He needed to get out of there. Now. With how hot his face felt, it was a small wonder he didn’t overheat again. He jumped up as quickly as possible, ignoring the intense dizziness and Y/N’s look of confusion. “N-no no no I’m fine perfectly fine this just happens sometimes you know haha.” Oh God he looked like an idiot he needed to _go._

Y/N stood up as well. “Are you sure? You hit your head pretty hard. It’s really not a trouble.” She put a hand on his arm.

“Noooo, I’m fine, really!” He felt bad to blow off her hospitality, but if he stayed there any longer, he was certain he was going to crash and die of embarrassment. “W-well, I should, um, _really_ be going now it’s, ahem, getting pretty late a-and the Professor’s probably starting to wonder where I am and I, uh, don’t want to worry him you know.” He cursed the way his voice cracked and glitched. She stared at him and blinked slowly. Oh God, he wished there was a way he could get out of there faster than just running. Oh, wait! Shit! He could fly! “I, um, I’ve got to go…! See you, have a good night!” And with that sorry excuse for a goodbye, he blasted off into the air, no doubt leaving Y/N dazed and confused on the ground below.

He covered his face with his hands and screamed. He was _so close!!!!_ He had planned everything out _perfectly_ and everything had gone _so well_ even with the movie incident and the people at the restaurant and he was _so close!!!!!!_ He just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He almost crashed into a telephone pole four times, a power line three times, and he _definitely_ hit a tree at least once. He wasn’t totally sure. He flew wildly all the way home, scaring quite a few poor birds and squirrels along the way. He didn’t even bother letting the Professor know he was home. He just flew straight in through his (fortunately) open window and smothered his burning face in a pillow. He was _never_ going to live this down. And that first kiss was not coming anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't feel like enough fics properly recognize how short Kiibo is, so I made note of it. Sorry if you're shorter than him, but he's super tiny so I made the reader taller.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thrilling conclusion! This is disgustingly cheesy. Like, enough cheese to kill my lactose intolerant friends. Sorry about that, but maybe you'll enjoy it, I don't know. I had a ton of fun writing all this, so I hope y'all have just as much fun reading it. Enjoy! And please let me know what you think down in the comments!

Y/N was _not okay._

She’d not been okay for the past few weeks, really. Not since she had that _amazing_ date with Kiibo that ended with him crashing and passing out on her front porch and then _literally flying away._ He had definitely tried to kiss her, that much she was sure of. And she felt _so bad_ because he was obviously trying _so hard_ to make it a good date. And he succeeded. I mean, she got to spend a good chunk of a two-hour long movie with him sitting in her lap and his face nuzzled into the crook of her neck. That was enough to make her a _very_ happy girl. But that wasn’t all: he then took her out to her favorite restaurant and paid for it all, enduring the prying stares of total strangers just for her. He even went so far as to give her these _beautiful_ earrings, which she hadn’t taken out since he’d given them to her. It’s just when it came to kissing her goodbye… he got nervous. It wasn’t his fault he overheated. But he was obviously beating himself up about it—the way he avoided her as much as possible at school made it obvious.

She did some good hard thinking, and she had made up her mind: she didn’t want to bother him with this anymore, even if it meant she had to wait years for him to finally kiss her. She’d wait. She never meant to upset him this much, and she hated the possibility that she had put it in his head that their current relationship wasn’t enough for her. She just wanted him to be happy. She just wanted _him._ It didn’t matter if they did nothing but watch grass grow and do calculus—it would be enough for her because it would be with him.

With conviction strong in her heart, she decided to finally confront Kiibo, and she wasn’t letting him get away, or running away herself, until she told him _exactly_ how she felt. No unfinished thoughts, no interruptions, no nothing. She sent him a text to meet her after school at a local park. She didn’t want to talk _at_ the school and risk a teacher (or Kokichi, for that matter) sticking around after hours and interrupting them. She was getting all of this out, and she was getting it out today.

She went to the park directly after school, so she’d be there when he showed up. She sat on a bench near the entrance and waited, watching the trees and passersby and listening to the soft chirping of the birds. It did wonders for her nerves. She felt confident that she could really face him and tell him everything.

She told him to meet her at 4:30, so she ended up waiting for quite some time. So much so, in fact, that she had dozed off by the time he got there. She felt a light tap on her shoulder, luring her out of her nap. There stood Kiibo, already red and fidgeting. “I-I’m sorry I’m late. I… I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

Y/N rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned. She checked her watch, finding it to be 5:00 already. That was odd. He was never late to any of their hangouts or dates. Usually, he ended up arriving really early. Y/N supposed it was a testament to just how embarrassed and distressed he was. She felt a little piece of her heart break for him. “No, no, it’s okay. I got here early.” She stood up and stretched, popping the joints in her neck and back. Once she was done, she was focused and alert once again. “We need to talk.”

He fidgeted under her intense gaze. “Y-yes, you said as much in your text. What is it?”

She looked around and saw that there were still quite a few people around. She wanted absolutely no distractions. “First, let’s go somewhere more private.” She took his hand and began walking deeper into the park. Had she been anything but hyper-focused on her mission, she would have noticed that Kiibo was absolutely terrified. He was sweating and smoking and it only seemed to get worse with every passing minute. The park was rather large, so Y/N was able to find a bench in a clearing that was completely secluded. She plopped down and patted the space next to her. “Sit.”

He did as he was told, a faint rattling sound coming from his shaking legs and hands. “S-so, um…” He cleared his throat. “What do you need to talk to me about?”

She turned her whole body to face him and took a deep breath. He swallowed nervously. She took both of his hands in hers and pinned him with her intense gaze right into his eyes. “For starters, we need to talk about how you’re avoiding me.” He began to protest, but she held up a finger, silencing him. “And don’t try to deny it. I know you are. It’s not that difficult to figure out. So, can we agree that you’ll stop doing that? That there’s literally _no reason_ why you should be avoiding me?” She gave him a pleading look. “I’m your girlfriend for God’s sake, Kiibo. You don’t have to stop talking to me just because you did something kind of embarrassing.”

“So you agree it was embarrassing…?” He seemed to shrink in his seat.

“I’m acknowledging that you find it embarrassing.” She ran her thumb over his knuckles comfortingly. “Can we agree on that? Can you stop avoiding me?”

“Y-yes, I can. I’m sorry, I just……. didn’t know how to talk to you.” He averted his eyes to the ground.

Y/N smiled. “The same way you always do, silly. Nothing’s changed. These kinds of things happen. It’s not your fault—you didn’t intend to crash. It’s okay.”

He perked up at that. A small smile began to find its way onto his lips. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Her eyes grew serious again. “But, Kiibo, that’s not all that I needed to talk to you about.”

He met her eyes, his smile dropping and being replaced by another nervous expression. “What… what else is it?”

She took a breath and paused, contemplating how she should phrase it. “Kiibo, I… never want to make you do something you aren’t comfortable with. And I don’t want you to agonize over something just because I want it. But more than anything, I never, _never_ want to make you think _for even a second_ that you aren’t enough for me _exactly the way you are._ That anything we do isn’t enough for me or that I need you to do anything to make it enough for me. Honey, do you know what I’m talking about?”

He blinked owlishly. “You’re… not breaking up with me?”

“What? No!” Y/N balked. “Why on earth would you think that?”

He blushed. “I-I don’t know it’s just that you were acting so serious and you never act like that and, I-I may be wrong but isn’t it usually not a good sign when your significant other says, ‘we need to talk’?” He ducked his head and looked up at her. “It, uh, had me worried.”

“Okay, I can see that now. No, I’m not breaking up with you. I’m sorry for making you worry.” She gave him a half-smile. “But, baby, do you know what I’m actually talking about?”

“I… think I might…”

“Then you know that you don’t need to get all worked up over this kiss stuff?” She squeezed his hands. “When I mentioned it, it was just to let you know that it was an option if you wanted to try it. It was never my intention to pressure you. It’s okay if you’re not ready and it’s okay if you just don’t want to. You don’t have to force it. These kinds of things just… happen.”

“But I do want to!” His abrupt outburst startled her. “I really, really want to do this with you, I just… don’t know if I can.”

She smiled, understanding. “That’s okay too. We don’t have to rush anything. We have plenty of time—we can go as slowly as you need. I can wait.”

He was quiet for a long moment. The silence actually started to make Y/N sweat a bit. Did she say something wrong? He began to speak. “…That… makes me feel a lot better, actually. I… thank you.” He smiled at her. “Thank you for always being so understanding.”

“Of course.” She took one of her hands out of his in favor of stroking his cheek. “You mean so very much to me, Kiibo. I’ll always try my very hardest to understand you. Though…” She smiled wide. “I’ve found that it’s usually not all that difficult to do.” She stood up and offered him her hand. “Well, now that we’ve got all that cleared up, would you maybe want to walk with me for a bit? I hear there’s going to be a fireworks show later. Plus, the stars are really beautiful from out here if you’d be willing to stay until dark.”

“I think I’d like that very much.” He took her hand and stood as well, but he didn’t let go. Not that Y/N minded.

They strolled through the park together, hand-in-hand. They were far enough in that they didn’t really have to worry about any of the usual staring, so Y/N was able to fully enjoy herself, really drinking in and appreciating her time with Kiibo. He loved being out in nature, and it was evident in the way his eyes lit up when they saw a new plant or heard a new bird call. He was like an excited little kid, and it was absolutely, completely, undeniably adorable. It was no wonder that Y/N fell for him, even if he was a robot. She just listened fondly as he rambled random facts about all the different flora and fauna.

With the days getting shorter and the nights longer, it didn’t take very long for night to begin to fall. They found a small clearing slightly raised above the ground around it, not quite big enough to be considered a hill, but the perfect spot for firework-watching and stargazing. They settled down in the grass side-by-side and waited expectantly.

Y/N could hardly contain her excitement as the first firework shot off, spraying red and gold sparks throughout the sky. “Kiibo, Kiibo, look!”

They watched as more and more vibrant embers colored the sky, Y/N making quiet little noises of amazement all throughout. At some point she began to feel eyes on her, but when she turned to look at Kiibo he was staring straight up at the fireworks, though she could’ve sworn that his cheeks were pinker than usual.

The show didn’t last for very long, but it was still lovely. Before leaving, however, Y/N flopped down in the grass flat on her back. She stretched her arms out to Kiibo, opening and closing her hands in a “gimme” motion. “C’mere, lay down with me!” She grinned giddily.

He hesitated but complied, laying down on the grass beside her, careful not to get any plants or leaves stuck between his joints. He folded his hands together on his stomach and looked up. He gasped. “Wow. You were right. I… don’t think I’ve ever seen the stars this clearly before.”

_ ‘He’s just so cute,’  _ she thought. Those big blue eyes wide with awe and curiosity made a warm, thick feeling bloom in her chest. She looked back up to find that his awe was not unwarranted. High above them, trillions upon trillions of bright little specks of light could be seen peppered throughout the sky, like grains of salt spilled over a dark countertop. The constellations were vibrantly visible, much to her delight. Her grin widened. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he breathed airily. “It is.” They lay in silence for quite some time, appreciating the stars, the cool air, and the quiet around them. Y/N saw Kiibo stir slightly out of the corner of her eye. “Do you think you could… tell me a bit about them? Like… those constellation stories you talk about sometimes?” he murmured.

Y/N smiled softly. “Of course.” She scanned the sky for something of note. “Oh! We’re in for a treat tonight! Look right up there.” She pointed to one of the dots in the sky. “See that star? The one way brighter than all the ones around it?”

He hummed in affirmation, his bright eyes urging her to go on.

“That’s Sirius. Or Sirius A, or the Dog Star, depending on who you ask. It’s the biggest and brightest star in our entire sky, even more so than Polaris, the North Star. It’s so recognizable, in fact, that ancient civilizations used to use it for navigation. Do you want to know why it’s called the Dog Star?”

“Yes please,” he said, entranced.

She found his enthusiasm all too adorable. She continued. “It’s because it’s the primary star in the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. If you look closely, it kind of looks like a dog, with Sirius as the nose.”

“I see it!”

“Mhmm. Now, if there’s a Canis Major, then there also has to be a Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog. Look over there, just a bit to the side of Canis Major, at those two really bright stars that look like a line. Those are Gomeisa and Procyon. They and a few other stars clustered right around there are Canis Minor.”

“Wow… They look kind of like they’re… following something, almost.”

Y/N giggled at his awestruck tone. “The ancient Greeks thought that too. In Greek mythology, Canis Major and Canis Minor were the two hunting dogs of the Hunter Orion. Right there, that really bright line of stars, that’s Orion’s Belt, where the Horsehead Nebula is located. From there, you can see the rest of Orion. There’s his feet, and his chest, and right there’s his bow.” She grinned cheekily at him. “You wanna know how the ancient Greeks thought he got all the way up there?”

“Yes!” Y/N couldn’t tell whether the stars in his eyes were a reflection, or if they were from him.

She turned to look back up. “In Greek mythology, Orion was a great hunter, and good friends with the goddess of the moon and the hunt, Artemis. He was so good in fact, that he began to boast about how he could hunt down all the creatures of the earth. This made the earth goddess, Gaia, very angry, as boasting always does in Greek myths. She got so mad, that she sent a giant scorpion, the constellation Scorpio, to kill Orion. He tried to defeat the monster, but he found that none of his arrows could pierce its armor. To escape, Orion jumped into the sea. Artemis’ twin brother, Apollo, tricked Artemis into shooting Orion while he was still in the ocean, saying that his shadow was that of a horrible villain. When Artemis realized what she had done, she begged the other gods to bring Orion back to life, but they refused. So, she decided to place his body up in the sky, so that she could always see her dear friend.” She smiled to herself as she finished the story, her voice wistful. “Or, at least, that’s one version of the story. The Greeks weren’t very good about keeping their myths consistent.”

Kiibo looked contemplative, staring up at the constellation. “That’s… kind of sad.”

Y/N shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Most Greek myths are. They’re meant to teach lessons.” She thought for a moment. “But…… there is one I can think of that’s a bit happier.”

Kiibo perked up at that. “Really? What is it?”

Y/N smirked, a teasing lilt finding its way into her voice. “It’s a love story.”

“It is? Can you tell me? Please?” His wide, eager eyes reminded Y/N very much of an excited child. She found it incredibly endearing.

She chuckled. “Okay, okay. Look all the way over there, at that really complicated network of stars. It’s kind of hard to find. See it?”

He squinted up at the sky. “I’m… not sure.”

She scooted over a bit closer and pointed. “Right there. That’s Andromeda. She was the wife of the great mythological hero, Perseus. He’s right over there, along with Andromeda’s mother, Cassiopeia, and his valiant steed, Pegasus. It’s a really long story, so I’ll just skip to the good part.”

Kiibo objected faster than lightening. “No! I want to hear all of it! Please? We have plenty of time!”

Y/N was a bit taken aback by his sudden outburst, but chuckled warmly, nonetheless. “I suppose we do. Okay. Andromeda was the beautiful princess of Palestine, the daughter of King Cephas and Queen Cassiopeia. She was so beautiful that Queen Cassiopeia began to brag that she was even more beautiful than the sea nymphs, all of whom were children of the god of the ocean, Poseidon. This angered Poseidon, so he sent a terrible sea monster to terrorize and ravage Palestine, destroying everything. The gods demanded that Andromeda be sacrificed to appease Poseidon’s rage, so she was chained to a rock and left to be devoured by the monster.”

Kiibo gasped. “That’s awful! This doesn’t sound like a love story at all!”

“Just wait. I’m not finished.” Y/N smiled. “While Andromeda was chained to the rock, Perseus just so happened to be flying by on Pegasus. He was struck by her immense beauty and immediately fell in love with her. He went to King Cephas to ask for her hand in marriage. The king agreed, so Perseus slew the monster and saved Andromeda.”

His face lit up. “And then they lived happily ever after, right? Like they do in fairytales?”

“This isn’t really a fairytale, Kiibo, it’s a myth, so not quite. At Andromeda and Perseus’ wedding feast, it was revealed that she had already been promised to another man. This man, Phineus, tried to claim her as his own, so Perseus had to turn him to stone using the head of a gorgon he had killed during his adventures, Medusa. _Then_ they lived happily ever after. And when they died at a ripe old age, the gods honored them by placing them, Cassiopeia, and Pegasus, all in the night sky, so they could be together forever.”

Kiibo smiled, his face softly illuminated by the stars and the moon. “That’s good, if maybe a little gory. Thank you for telling me. I have to say, I like that story a lot better than the other one.”

Y/N turned to look at him, admiring the way the soft light danced across his pale face. “So do I, Kiibo. So do I.”

They lay in comfortable silence, just taking in the breathtaking view. After a little while, Kiibo whispered, barely audible, “Y/N?”

“Yes, Kiibo?” she whispered back just as quiet.

“Do you… do you think that…” His cheeks glowed a faint red in the dark and she heard him swallow. “Do you think that we could be like that? Like Perseus and Andromeda?”

Y/N was surprised by his question. “In what way?” She thought for a moment, mulling over his words. “I know I certainly don’t need any saving, but if I ever do, I wouldn’t mind if you did the honors.” She smiled warmly.

“N-no, not like that. Not that I wouldn’t want to be your hero, but that’s… not what I mean.” Y/N gave him a confused look, prompting him to go on. “I-I mean like………… forever. Like they are.”

That surprised Y/N even more. She had to think about it for a little bit. Forever was… a long time. Did she really feel that strongly about him? She examined him. Usually, out in nature he stuck out like a sore thumb. But now, in the dark lying on the grass with the soft pale light of the stars and moon shining down on him, he looked like he perfectly belonged. The metal of his body glinted in the dim light, as though he himself was one of the twinkling stars they had been admiring all night. He looked………… ethereal. Otherworldly. And so _so_ far beyond her. Beyond anything she could ever hope to understand. Yet, she still tried. She’d gone with him to his repairs, she’d listened to him ramble about his functions, she even picked up and read a few books on machinery and robotics. But more importantly, she’d tried to understand _him._ His hopes and dreams, his feelings he was still trying to make sense of, his fears, his aspirations. She’d been a friend and a confidant, and now, a partner. But why? Was that enough to warrant forever?

Because he was so sweet. All polite and caring and nervous energy, and it made her heart absolutely melt. The way he blushed at the drop of a hat, that curious sparkle he always had in his eyes, the quiet (or sometimes not-so quiet) determination he always carried himself with: they turned her insides into pudding and her legs into jello—soft and thick and sickeningly sweet.

Because he tried so hard. All the time. And he never gave up. Because he _wanted_ to learn and grow and understand, and she wanted to support him. Give him anything he needed. Teach him everything she knew and grow with him. To have more nights like this—moments like this. Lying in the grass and talking about ancient Greece and the stars and how their stories intertwine. Because she knew there’d be an unholy fury in her belly if anyone tried to take all that from him, belittle and demean him. Because she knew she’d do anything for those big blue eyes of his.

Because the cool feeling of his palm pressed against hers strengthened her yet made her so so _weak._ It grounded her yet made her feel like floating, her heart and stomach lost somewhere in her throat. It flooded her with peace, yet at the same time brought about this deep, intense _want_ for something she couldn’t quite name. Something that only lessened yet grew worse when she leaned closer to him. The reason why the comforting gesture of running her thumb across his knuckles was more for her than anything else.

Lying there in the grass with the stars shining above them, drinking in his softly anxious and expectant expression, she realized it all at once: she loved him. It was because she loved him. Truly, madly, deeply, profoundly. That unnamable feeling that had overtaken her weeks ago in the courtyard, the same one that overtook her now, had a name: it was love. The same love of Perseus and Andromeda, that toppled monsters and rebuilt kingdoms. That same powerful, frightening feeling was hers now. But she wasn’t afraid. Because it was with him and for him and from him and everything of _him._ And she suddenly realized that she’d been in love for quite some time now.

And that, that certainly warranted forever.

Her face broke into a wide, toothy smile. “Yes, Kiibo. Yes I do.”

He blinked, then a slow, stunned grin grew on his lips. He let out a long huff of air. “Really? I… I think so too.” He reached into the grass between them, finding her hand and lacing their fingers together.

She melted into the touch, her heart welling up with that indescribable emotion _(‘Love! It was love!’_ she yelled in her mind). She turned onto her side to fully face him, unable to contain how wide her fluttering grin had gotten. “Hey, Kiibo?” She held on to that elated, flickering feeling in her chest. “I have something I need to tell you.” Because, by God, she _needed_ to tell him otherwise she thought she might die.

“Hmm? What is it?” He turned onto his side as well.

She reached out and cupped his face, running her thumb just under his eye. Her smile grew and the feeling bubbled in her chest at the little noise he made. She poured all the warmth she felt into her gaze and voice and she breathed, clearly, plainly, “I love you.”

His eyes grew impossibly wide, and his mouth formed a perfect little ‘o’ shape. The smooth synthetic skin of his cheek heated under her hand, and she could make out the deep crimson hue of his face. His expression melted into something softer, his lips quirking upwards to form a dizzy grin of his own. “I… I love you too. So much.”

She didn’t think her heart could swell any more, but it did. Her eyes locked onto his, and she was once again struck by just how beautiful he was. His smooth skin, and his pale, shimmery hair gently blowing in the wind just _begging_ for her to run her hands through, and _those_ _eyes._ She could’ve cried they were so beautiful, so _perfect._ All big and round and innocent and shinning. They made her heart _weep._ Whatever room that was left in her body was filled with that strange longing she had grown all too familiar with.

She removed her hand from his and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. It was just as soft as it looked, if not softer, and she wanted _more._ She brought her hand to cup the other side of his face, and she felt like she was holding the whole world between her hands. Those beautiful, breathtaking eyes widened again, and she just had to say it. “You are so beautiful.” Her voice sounded raspy, even to herself.

“W-what?” 

She inched closer, her eyes darting down to his lips. “You are so so _so_ beautiful. Just breathtaking. And I love you so much. _So much._ More than I’ve ever loved anything in my entire life.” Her voice cracked as she began to choke up. She felt the sting of tears welling up in her eyes, a few escaping and flowing freely down her face.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry. I love you too—please don’t cry.” He brought his own hand up to her face to wipe away the few stray tears that had fallen.

“I’m sorry, I just… I love you.” She let out a little, breathless laugh. “I love you. And I want to be with you. Always, all the time, forever. And I’m just… _so happy.”_

He smiled softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I feel the same. I’m… happy too.”

She had been slowly moving forward, their faces now barely inches apart. Her eyes darted back down to his lips, and she took a long breath. She heard him swallow. Her throat and mouth were suddenly all-too dry, and she licked her parched lips to help alleviate the feeling. “Hey, bab—”

He rushed forward and then his mouth was on hers and she completely forgot what she was going to say but it didn’t matter anymore because he was kissing her and nothing mattered except for the soft glide of his lips against hers. They were cool and smooth and exactly how she had imagined them yet somehow better. Her eyes slipped closed. She was lightheaded and dizzy and it felt _so good, so right, so perfect._ It was over all-too soon. He pulled away from her, eyes half-lidded and cheeks softly glowing pink. “Was…” He swallowed and licked his lips, his voice raspy. “Was that alri—”

She grabbed the back of his head and yanked him into another kiss before he could finish. The high-pitched squeak he made was muffled into her mouth, and it made her smile. She tangled her fingers in his hair and she felt more than heard the low groan he made in the back of his throat. His hands wandered down her sides to her waist, pulling her closer. She climbed in top of him, straddling his hips so she could be closer feel him better kiss him deeper. She pressed her chest up against his, shivering at the feeling of the cool metal and his hands running up and down her sides and her hips and her back, restless.

She broke the kiss for only a second, to take in a few shaky breaths and whisper, “I love you,” against his lips before diving back in. She poured every want, emotion, and feeling she’d ever had for him into the kiss—the one she’d waited for for so long. Fireworks even bigger and brighter than the ones they had watched earlier went off in her brain, and she was so totally and completely overwhelmed with how much she loved him in that moment that she didn’t know how to do anything but touch him and kiss him and let him know how much she loved him.

In a moment of boldness, she quickly swiped her tongue against his bottom lip. He made another one of those beautiful and adorable sounds, but that wasn’t quite was she was looking for, so she did it again. This time he gasped, and she was able to slide her tongue inside of his mouth, lightly stroking the underside of his tongue. He whimpered almost pitifully. He tasted slightly coppery and metallic, but she loved it anyway. His tongue tentatively poked at hers, copying her. She moaned deeply, encouraging him to go on. Emboldened by her reaction, he gently sucked on her tongue, coaxing another loud moan out of her.

She parted from him, panting heavily, the faint tingle of electricity lingering on her lips. She grinned giddily, looking him right in the eyes. He looked a bit dazed but smiled back, just as elated. She began to pepper his face with little kisses—his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, his chin, she even pressed a few cheeky pecks to his jaw and neck, and a few more to his lips. He giggled. “H-hey, s-stop it.” He leaned away half-heartedly, but she just kept on showering him in sweet kisses, her hands holding his face in place. She gave one last, long, loving kiss to his lips, pouring out everything for him. She loved him. So so _so_ much. So much that she didn’t understand how she ever didn’t know it. She felt it deep inside her bones, her heart, her very soul. And she brought all that to light in this one kiss.

She pulled away. His eyes remained closed for a moment, before they slowly fluttered open, staring at her in awe. “…. Wow,” he breathed. “That was…….”

Y/N’s smile turned soft and warm. She brushed a lock of hair out of his face. “I know.”

He smiled blissfully, looking at her with a bit of disbelief. “I… I can’t believe I was so nervous about… _that._ That was… amazing.” His cheeks flushed lightly, and he ducked his head, looking up at her bashfully. “Can… can we do it again?”

She chuckled and brushed his cheek again. “Yes, Kiibo. Yes we can.” She grabbed both of his hands and linked their fingers together, giving him a sweet smile. She leaned forward and gave him another long peck on the lips. He smiled into it and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. When they parted, he was grinning at her like he’d just won the lottery, eyes shining. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too, Kiibo. C’mon. Let’s head home.” She climbed off of him and got to her feet, offering him her hand. He took it and pulled himself up. They walked back to Y/N’s house together, hand-in-hand and Kiibo’s head resting on her shoulder. She really meant it. She loved him. And that was more than enough to warrant forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Side note: why the hell does AO3 list his name as K1-B0??? It's really gross and clunky and I don't like it. So I'm spelling it Kiibo.


End file.
